So your diet has been giving great results. You've worked your ass out every single day. You have 1,000 calories a day. But all of a sudden your body refuses to lose weight anymore.
This is the tricky moment. Your body has built a defence wall around this weight and, no matter what, it will not let you lose those pounds. I kow it because a few years ago my weight was at 108-110 pounds and there was no way whatsoever in which I could get rid of that weight. I was slim but not skinny (between you and me my muscles would never allow me to be skinny, but that's something else).
For me 108 pounds is thr lowest and no matter how slim I get and even though I look slimmer than the previous week when I was still 108, I am still at 108! Obviously.
I had another blockage at 114 or something that I had managed to pass afew times. How do you deblock your system? Gracefully. Carefully. Reducing calories is not the solution. And if you are working out like I was, half the day or even more, then you cannot increase exercise either.
So then how to convince your body to let you get over that 'defence wall'? It's simple. You change the routine. You don't have a routine? You make one first then. Your body is already used to low calories and work-out.
Eat an extra something a day and work out every third day - intensive everyday work-out does NOT work. I swear it doesn't in the long run. I have myself and a few friends as witnesses.
About the eating habits, every third day - preferably the day you work out, skip a meal or replace it with something with less calories. The perfect way to shock your body is to change the routine - and that means that you should have one.
So you had too much food to eat yesterday and you feel guilty. You had a party and you couldn't stop eating those cakes and puddings and steaks.
Don't worry, there is a solution!
As you know, the food you eat doesn't transform into fat on the spot but it takes time. The same it happens when you go on a diet and you don't lose any weight for a few days and then you start losing fast all of a sudden.
The truth is, it takes a while for the body to process what you ate and therefore the results of your little 'food adventure' show up only the next day.
So, today is a new day and you have a chance to stop the food from transforming into fat.
First thing on your list today: no sugar. Absolutely no sugar. Take out bread and anything that could increase the level of sugar in your blood. See my previous post on Foods that Increase Appetite. And have at least 8 glasses of water or tea (without sugar). Take out fruits as well. Reduce the number of calories and try to have some vegetables (lettuce, cucumbers, eggplant, avocado, green beans, etc) and proteins (yogurts, cheese, meat, chicken, fish, etc.).
You do this, you wash away the food from yesterday, you decrease the sugar in your blood, and you don't put on weight.
But do yourself a favor and don't exagerate with this 'solution'. If you do this three times a week it will not work.
Not everyone puts on weight, though, and that is extremely frustrating. I remember back in highschool and university girls that would eat three sandwiches by lunch, have a big lunch and dinner, and weigh a few kilos/pounds. You wonder why this blessing could not happen to you.
On the other hand, my husband doesn't have a weight problem. If he has a daily intake of 3500 cal. he might put on 3 pounds in two weeks. If I have a daily intake of 3500 cal. I put on 10 pounds in three weeks. Life just isn't fair.
Well, actually it's the metabolism. I bet you've heard of it. It is the one responsible for burning that fat; the faster it is, the smaller the chance to put on weight. The older we get, the slower the metabolism gets, thus the harder it is for us to lose weight.
In other words, for a healthy person, it would be enough to be able to eat all he/she wants if his/her metabolism would work perfectly.
Are you one of those that dieted a lot? Bad news. According to a study, diets that famish you decrease the speed of your metabolism by 45 - 70%. That explains why, once you start eating normally, you put all the weight back on. Besides, it's written in our genes: the body stocks up in winter and after a period when it thinks it didn't have enough food, so in case it happens again, it will be protected against losing too much weight.
The good news is that you can increase the speed of your metabolism by using some tricks:
1. Drink water or tea without sugar. Eight glasses a day should do the trick, summer or winter. Of course, in summer you might need to drink more. Anyway, more on water and why it is good to drink this much will be posted later.
2. Have a couple of small meals a day and never skip breakfast. That way the body understands that it will not be famished again and it will not stock up fat.
3. Don't forget the proteins. Studies show that proteins can boost up your metabolism. So have a bit of it every day. You can find proteins mostly in animal products, but vegetable protein can be found from other sources too.
4. Good 'carbs' help. You can find them in vegetables, fruits, whole-grains, etc. Not only are they good carbs, but they also provide fiber, which is very important for a healthy diet. Again, more on it, since it's a large chapter, later. There is a problem in USA especially when vegetables - some are known to contain hormones that keep them pretty for the buyers. If you can find organic products, try those.
5. Dairy products. Again, America has a problem with diary products - any foreigner can tell you that when he/she moves there. Try to find a good source, try imported cheese if necessary, jogurts, milk, etc.
6. Spices. Many condiments help your metabolism, so don't go easy on black pepper or paprika. I will give you a list of good spices later too.
7. Exercise. Did you know that muscle actually helps you lose weight? Muscles consume a lot of calories only by themselves. However, try to build lean muscle not bulky muscle. Work-out speeds up your metabolism. Also, again, later, I will tell you the story of the growing hormone and why it is good to exercise 15 minutes before going to bed, for like 20-30 minutes. Personally I lost the most weight when I broke up my exercise sessions: I was exercising every 30 minutes - an hour for like 5-10 minutes.
8. Sleep. You think you put onweight when you sleep? Not if you didn't have a large dinner. Metabolism needs to be refreshened, so sleep from 10pm to 7 or 8 am. If you are tired you can bet your metabolism is also tired.
9. Women, careful with PMS. Mine are horrible sometimes. I cannot live without Nurofen or Ibuprofen. I will have a whole post dedicated to this later on, because it is a large subject. I will tell you how I got over my pain and what helps. For now, take it for granted: a bit of exercise and a healthy diet before and during your period can rid you of your pains. If you feel those urges hitting, eat veggies, not chocolate. Sometimes the body creates cravings because it lacks certain vitamins or minerals, so try to understand what your body really needs.
10. Smoke less. And that goes for me too. Drink healthy liquids instead.
While writing this little guide I came to realize that I have so many things to say and not enough time to say them. So each day I will post one more myth or reality about losing weight and healthy living. If I will ever run out of things to say? I doubt it.
Losing weight and staying healthy is easy, when you care. Forget famishing yourself: there are other ways.
Since I was 15 I've been obsessed with healthy diets, losing weight, sports, and everything included. I read books after books and I collected articles on staying fit and healthy. Even now, 12 years later, I am still reading everything I find on the subject.
I will share with you, step by step, everything I know. Free advice.
About Me
Name: Andreea Home: Bucharest, Romania About Me: Post graduate student, happily married, who has found the perfect job in a perfect company. :) See my complete profile
